[Q] Drivers now opensource = Real Cyanogenmod port possible ? - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello !
I just read these tweets by supercurio and Mathieulh which seemed to say that everything was now open sourced.
I had a SGS before buying this phone and they never were able to make a real full featured port of CM7 because of the issue of drivers not being open sourced, which was really too bad :/
Is it confirmed that all the drivers are now open source and porting CM will be much more easier than on the SGS? If so, this and the unlocked bootloader are really great news that Samsung listens to its customers.
Thanks for your help !

Will this make using the wii remote possible?

Dannyboyni said:
Will this make using the wii remote possible?
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Yeah I was also thinking about this : now that the bluetooth stack is opensource, it should be possible, right?

Aweb said:
Hello !
I just read these tweets by supercurio and Mathieulh which seemed to say that everything was now open sourced.
I had a SGS before buying this phone and they never were able to make a real full featured port of CM7 because of the issue of drivers not being open sourced, which was really too bad :/
Is it confirmed that all the drivers are now open source and porting CM will be much more easier than on the SGS? If so, this and the unlocked bootloader are really great news that Samsung listens to its customers.
Thanks for your help !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its not like that
some part are now open source (prolly a mistake lol), but some other parts aren't.
for example one of the issues with CM7 on the SGS is the RIL. It adds stuff in the framework (mainly to handle video calling over the regular network, aka not internet) and that's not open source.
also, Samsung put a good part of the (back side) camera logic in a non-open source library. I bet it's the same on the SGS2 even thus i haven't looked in details.
It usually goes on and on. ;-)
As a final note, the CM7 SGS kernel is 100% open source. it's just that some things have glue in the kernel, open source glue, and the real driver is inside userspace, proprietary and closed source.

Thanks for this detailed reply. If you manage to discover any other information, please tell me !

Related

Request for kernel source code

Hello all
I have spent much time recently attempting to modify the zImage included with the Fascinate to include a working recovery image for us to use. However without source code this an extremely difficult (if not possible) goal to achieve.
I am requesting that anyone who owns this device please request the kernel source code from Samsung, so that we may be able to fully utilize our devices. Even if you do not know anything about coding or have any personal use for this source code, it is your right to request it as an owner of the device, and this code will help us all immensely once it is in the right hands.
Requests for source code can be filed on Samsung's website at : opensource . samsung.com/ (remove the extra spaces, apparently I can't post links yet)
Click on the mail icon at the top to submit your request.
Thank you for your assistance.
Requesting right now. Thanks for what your doing! Any updates since last night?
i just finished sending one in
jt1134 said:
Hello all
I have spent much time recently attempting to modify the zImage included with the Fascinate to include a working recovery image for us to use. However without source code this an extremely difficult (if not possible) goal to achieve.
I am requesting that anyone who owns this device please request the kernel source code from Samsung, so that we may be able to fully utilize our devices. Even if you do not know anything about coding or have any personal use for this source code, it is your right to request it as an owner of the device, and this code will help us all immensely once it is in the right hands.
Requests for source code can be filed on Samsung's website at : opensource . samsung.com/ (remove the extra spaces, apparently I can't post links yet)
Click on the mail icon at the top to submit your request.
Thank you for your assistance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You just want everything handed to you, don't you? Quit being so lazy and do some actual work.
But seriously everyone, please take the time to fill out the request. The sooner we get the source, the quicker we'll see some ROMs.
namebrandon said:
You just want everything handed to you, don't you? Quit being so lazy and do some actual work.
But seriously everyone, please take the time to fill out the request. The sooner we get the source, the quicker we'll see some ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This guy again, huh
Seriously, thank you to anyone who fills out the request. Remember, as an owner of the device it is your right to have access to the kernel source code, and it takes less than 2 minutes to fill out the request form. Tell your friends!
http://opensource.samsung.com/reception/reception_main.do?method=inquiryView
There's the direct url for the lazy.
Thanks for direct link. Filled one out through my phone. Made it sound pretty formal lol. Let's hope we get the ball rolling soon, starting to miss all the active development on the older phones.
Submitted a request.
frostman89 said:
Thanks for direct link. Filled one out through my phone. Made it sound pretty formal lol. Let's hope we get the ball rolling soon, starting to miss all the active development on the older phones.
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Once we get source we will be able to get a working recovery, then the floodgates will be open. My personal mission is to get AOSP/CM on the phone immediately after that happens, can't stand the TouchWiz and I intend to destroy it!!
Submitted a request. Only way I'll be buying this phone is if I can eliminate all Verizon/Samsung UI/apps. Even a vanilla ROM will do over the TouchWiz crap.
I am a little confused. What source code are you requesting?
If you go to h**p://opensource.samsung.com/, click on 'Mobile' at the top, then Ctrl-F for "i9000", you can find (what looks like) a zip containing both the kernel image and files you can plop in an aosp tree in order to build roms for the Galaxy S.
Maybe you guys are talking about source specifically for Fascinate?
partner55583777 said:
I am a little confused. What source code are you requesting?
If you go to h**p://opensource.samsung.com/, click on 'Mobile' at the top, then Ctrl-F for "i9000", you can find (what looks like) a zip containing both the kernel image and files you can plop in an aosp tree in order to build roms for the Galaxy S.
Maybe you guys are talking about source specifically for Fascinate?
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Click to collapse
Yes, we are requesting the source for the fascinate. As the i9000 is a completely different device, and we have the sch-i500
fallingup said:
Yes, we are requesting the source for the fascinate. As the i9000 is a completely different device, and we have the sch-i500
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Click to collapse
Okay, thanks. That clears it up.
So I guess Samsung is currently in violation of the GPL, then? (And probably other licenses).
partner55583777 said:
Okay, thanks. That clears it up.
So I guess Samsung is currently in violation of the GPL, then? (And probably other licenses).
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Well i am sure they will release the source, its just taking them longer than i would like. They released the source for the Epic about 3 days after the hardware was released, and we are at about a week now.
Yeah, they'll post the code soon, they're just taking their sweet time about it.
Source code released! Thanks guys!
jt1134 said:
Source code released! Thanks guys!
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and source code fail!
Is the source code on opensource.samsung.com still the wrong one?
ludeboy said:
Is the source code on opensource.samsung.com still the wrong one?
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Click to collapse
Not sure yet. We've confirmed they've had at least two different files for download since last night. The original one wasn't' working. I'm at work, so can't tell you much about the second (latest) one.

[ROM Preview] Partially working AOKP ICS port for HTC View 4G

First of all, I know that this might not be the right forum for this, but since this id is new I am not allow to post the thread on the development forum. Now that I got that out of the way. I think a lot of you would really enjoy this video =)
We have started an effort to port HTC View to AOKP ICS. It's far from fully working. But we hope to get some of the basic functionality working in the coming weeks before we release the rom. So stay tuned!
Video 1
http://youtu.be/mW8qLrse4pc
Video 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA9IllruYZA
List of things that are working so far.
WiFi, touch screen, captivity buttons(no back light), GPS, sound, HW accelaration? (not sure, as we don't know how to test it), internal sd card
List of things that we're working on before a rom release.
1. On screen button has weird look on some apps, it shrinks to a very small icons.
2. HD movies don't play, Omx codec issue?
3. Touch screen seems to be un-responsive in some game apps.
4. BT doesn't work at all (not as important)
5. Pen doesn't work at all (not as important)
If you have any ideas on how to fix these issues or provide some ideas what could be the cause of the issue (for example, you encounter the issue in other devices and know where to look for the issue) Please let us know by posting on the thread or PM us so we could speed up the release.
This thread is now close and has been moved to development forum as there is a pre-alpha rom for download.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1673430
That looks great, i dont have an evo view, but a flyer bu i see that you have been able to avoid the graphic seizure we have on the flyer roms, i think maybe you and drew garen could colaborate some of your work, but idk, im not a dev or anything, but looks great
Drew Garen ROM
Same here hope you can collaborate with drew to get the graphical seizure issue worked ot between the two of you - I'll post this in Drew Garen's Dev thread.
We're open to share our experiences, if someone post specific questions regards to a specific problem like graphical seizure issue mhkabir98 mentioned. We could provide some ideas. But keep in mind that we're still talking about 2 different devices so there might be areas where they will differ.
Can you elaborate or maybe post a short video of what you mean by graphical seizure?
if i get the time i will eventually take some pics and tape it so you can see it
Wow, looks great so far. Hope to see WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS working soon.
I'm willing to test if you need it. I don't really use my View for anything important right now.
awesome man! pumped!
looking good! thanks for sharing the progress. sounds very promising. as a view user, the idea of getting ics before the flyer makes me grin.
schadenfroh said:
looking good! thanks for sharing the progress. sounds very promising. as a view user, the idea of getting ics before the flyer makes me grin.
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your name fit's very good to your comment xD
freak4dell said:
Wow, looks great so far. Hope to see WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS working soon.
I'm willing to test if you need it. I don't really use my View for anything important right now.
Click to expand...
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Got sound to work. Graphic is much better now, there are no red boarders anymore. Wifi is so close to working.... thanks for the offer, will probably need help when we test app compatibility.
yncconsulting said:
Got sound to work. Graphic is much better now, there are no red boarders anymore. Wifi is so close to working.... thanks for the offer, will probably need help when we test app compatibility.
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funny,
i think the Flyer is at the same stage too
you're in a competition and reached the same breakthrough around the same time, cool!
you should work with Garen on the wifi solution, there are always room for programmers to fix things.
This is awesome!!! I had kind if given up.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
wow i might have to dust off my view now lol
wifi works now. will post a video later with the latest
I will happily donate for this, thanks for your hard work!
oldpueblo said:
I will happily donate for this, thanks for your hard work!
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Click to collapse
thanks. that's encouraging
Update video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA9IllruYZA
That's looking great -- awesome work!
Got a newbie question. Since we're building this rom from HTC HC kernel source + AOKP source tree. Does this consider porting or building a rom? What is the difference?
yncconsulting said:
Got a newbie question. Since we're building this rom from HTC HC kernel source + AOKP source tree. Does this consider porting or building a rom? What is the difference?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my personal opinion which is: porting if you have no compatible drivers available or framework already working on the platform.
- If HTC did not develop any drivers and framework for ICS and for our view/flyer, it becomes a port.
- If you use drivers from another device because HTC did build it, its a port.
- If you take panel device kernel driver and adapt it to this device, its a port. but changes are development.
porting is using existing source or drivers and make it work on another device.
kernel is an exception since all of it is opensource and everything build a custom kernel.
framework in aokp builds are modified aosp sources, where most is compiled from source with changes to source (which becomes a port, like you see old games ported to new devices)
but those i made, are nearly 100% ports, i did smali changes, a few library hardcoding changes into binary files, and only a few kernel changes.
i would call my changes 100% porting.
even if i ported a camera driver from desire hd, which again is not build from scratch.
a rom build is very common as i see it, when guys combine files after their choice and changes some graphics + apk's changes. that is a definate rom build. if you got not development c/java/smali involved) it cannot be a port or a developer rom, its a rom mod(ified) of an original with changes.
its not easy to define "build" .
a modified rom build, or compiled build from source.
not a direction on the term, but just my opinion on this.
(previously already mentioned that ports never are any good, and ICS builds from source are better.)
some people porting are better than others.

[Q] raw android / general software situation on the Xperia S

Hi all,
I am noob at XDA. (About myself: I am a software engineer aged 30. I have been hacking computers since I was 10.)
I am here because I am planning to buy a new Android device soon. (And unless something really revolutionary happens, I don't plan to upgrade it in the next 2 years or so, so it's a long-term decision.)
My short-list is:
- HTC One S
- Sony Xperia S
or, if everything else fails:
- Samsung Galaxy Nexus
The hardware of the One S and the Xperia S is obviously more powerful than the Galaxy Nexus; my only concern is the software side of things.
The thing is, I really don't like the customization the hardware vendors do with the software, so I want to run raw vanilla AOSP, or something very close to it.
(CM definitely qualifies.)
Also, I am sick of waiting for ages for new android versions to be ported to my device.
Obviously, Galaxy Nexus is guaranteed to be get Android upgrades first, so that's a safe choice in this respect, but since I like the hardware of Xperia S (and One S) so much, I would like to gain a better understanding the software situation of them, so I can make an informed decision about my purchase.
I am aware of the fact that Sony is actively supporting the Free Xperia Team, which is bringing CM9 to Nozomi (among other devices), but I have no information about the details of the project, or it's limitations.
So, my questions are the following:
1. What is the exact nature of the support Sony is providing to the FXP team? (HW? HW docs? Binary drivers? Driver source? Consultation?) Has this changed in any way, now that Sony Ericsson has become Sony? Was this a one-time action, or have they made any commitment about the future?
2. What does one need to build a vanilla android ROM for the S, using the AOSP sources? (Let's forget Cyanogenmod for now.) What is the status of the required device drivers?
3. What are the current obstacles, hindering the release of CM9 (or any other derivative of AOSP) for this device? As far as I know, Nozomi was released in 2012.02, ~4 months ago. ICS was released in 2011.10, ~8 months ago. Official ICS (Sony's version, with Timescape) is rolling out about now; CM9 is not yet released. I wonder what is taking so long?
(Please understand that I really, literally wonder: I am not demanding anything, and I am not trying to offend or accuse anyone; I am totally aware that I don't understand the process; I would like to have more information to understand what needs to be done. And since I am software engineer, and I am not afraid of getting my hand dirty, so eventually, I might end up helping with it...)
4. Do we have any information about Sony's plan for this device beyond ICS? Jelly Bean is coming up soon. Regardless of Sony's decision, when JB is released, I would like to run it on my device, as soon as possible. What are our prospects for porting JB to Nozomi? Is Sony going to help with porting the device drivers to the new kernel, is something like that would come up?
* * *
Thank you for explaining this:
Csillag
1) No one knows for sure, but I'm pretty sure that it's not game changing, judging by the progress me and Doomlord made on AOKP without any help from Sony (obviously).
2) You can try building Gingerbread, but no one cares, right? For ICS, see the next answer.
3) The most important problem is that we don't have the drivers/kernel sources, and there's not much motivation for building it from scratch considering the soon(ish) ICS release. There are leaks with files for so called 'brown' or developer devices, but they also don't give much because of different low-level software. So the state of things is that almost everything but wireless is working, but wireless doesn't work at all. That means data, calls and WiFi.
4) JellyBean will likely be a minor upgrade (4.1 that is) and there's nothing stopping Sony from releasing anything on the 4.x branch. When 5.0 comes, it will depend on the hardware requirements but I'd guess we're getting it too.
K900 said:
1) No one knows for sure,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is that possible?
The FXP guys (bin4ry, jerpelea, etc) are here on these forums...
... did they have to swear secrecy, even about the circumstances?
but I'm pretty sure that it's not game changing, judging by the progress me and Doomlord made on AOKP without any help from Sony (obviously).
2) You can try building Gingerbread, but no one cares, right? For ICS, see the next answer.
3) The most important problem is that we don't have the drivers/kernel sources,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean we don't have the kernel sources for ICS, right? Because for GB, we do have something, in this thread... I guess I should ask this in the relevant thread, but has anybody determined the exact differences between this source and the stock ( 2.6.35 ? ) kernel this is based on? How many non-standard drivers are there? Do they come from Sony directly, or do they come from 3rd parties? I will need to look into this...
and there's not much motivation for building it from scratch considering the soon(ish) ICS release.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And according to past experience, how long does it take Sony to release the kernel for ICS, after the imminent official ICS release?
There are leaks with files for so called 'brown' or developer devices, but they also don't give much because of different low-level software. So the state of things is that almost everything but wireless is working, but wireless doesn't work at all. That means data, calls and WiFi.
4) JellyBean will likely be a minor upgrade (4.1 that is) and there's nothing stopping Sony from releasing anything on the 4.x branch. When 5.0 comes, it will depend on the hardware requirements but I'd guess we're getting it too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, that part sound good.
* * *
Thank you for explaining:
Csillag
csillag said:
How is that possible?
The FXP guys (bin4ry, jerpelea, etc) are here on these forums...
... did they have to swear secrecy, even about the circumstances?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't seen them tell anyone, and I've never seen them do anything that's not available for everyone else (thankfully).
csillag said:
You mean we don't have the kernel sources for ICS, right? Because for GB, we do have something, in this thread... I guess I should ask this in the relevant thread, but has anybody determined the exact differences between this source and the stock ( 2.6.35 ? ) kernel this is based on? How many non-standard drivers are there? Do they come from Sony directly, or do they come from 3rd parties? I will need to look into this...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are kernel sources for GB, the same ones from which the stock kernel was built. If you mean the upstream Linux kernel, it'll be a huge diff that's not so easy to port without datasheets (which we don't have) and actual understanding of how the hardware works. Speaking of drivers, I'm pretty sure you misunderstand the way Linux / Android 'drivers' work. Kernel-space drivers (modules) and userspace drivers (libraries and daemons) are two different things. They have to open source their kernels because Linus's tree ('official' Linux) is GPL, but the userspace parts are proprietary. ICS also brought many ABI changes, so just taking old libs and placing them in a new ROM often doesn't suffice.
csillag said:
And according to past experience, how long does it take Sony to release the kernel for ICS, after the imminent official ICS release?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It takes time, can't say how long really, but it shouldn't take too long because they know we want those sources.
K900 said:
I haven't seen them tell anyone, and I've never seen them do anything that's not available for everyone else (thankfully).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you seen them being explicitly asked about this?
(Because not saying anything because not being asked is completely different that refusing to reveal this info....)
There are kernel sources for GB, the same ones from which the stock kernel was built. If you mean the upstream Linux kernel,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that was what I have meant when I wrote "stock". Now I see that it was ambiguous wording...
it'll be a huge diff
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That's sad.
I was hoping for finding only some added drivers, plus some small configuration changes elsewhere.
that's not so easy to port without datasheets
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
obviously
(which we don't have)
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Click to collapse
We don't have it, but the "official" FreeXperia team might, or they might be able to ask for it. This is exactly the kind of information I am trying to find about their collaboration with Sony...
and actual understanding of how the hardware works. Speaking of drivers, I'm pretty sure you misunderstand the way Linux / Android 'drivers' work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, actually I get that part. (I am exclusively using Linux for about 13 years now, and I have also done some kernel hacks earlier.) But maybe my wording was ambiguous again...
Kernel-space drivers (modules) and userspace drivers (libraries and daemons) are two different things. They have to open source their kernels because Linus's tree ('official' Linux) is GPL,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that does not stop some vendors (like NVidia) to ship binary kernel modules, so I would not be too surprised to find even binary kernel modules bundled with the code. But if they are open source, that that's great.
but the userspace parts are proprietary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not know the devices require userspace parts. I was assuming that the kernel modules implement standard linux device interfaces; for example cameras are simply accessible via v4l[2], the modem is a character device, etc...
...so you say this is not the situation, and besides the kernel modules, they require custom user-space parts for operation, right?
ICS also brought many ABI changes, so just taking old libs and placing them in a new ROM often doesn't suffice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that part is clean.
It takes time, can't say how long really, but it shouldn't take too long because they know we want those sources.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, you say that it's a totally possible situation that we need to wait for several further months until we can get access to the kernel sources, and build proper CM9, right?
Unfortunately, this is exactly what I would like to avoid.
Maybe I should just stick to Galaxy Nexus, in spite of the older hardware...
Thank you for explaining:
Csillag
csillag said:
Have you seen them being explicitly asked about this?
(Because not saying anything because not being asked is completely different that refusing to reveal this info....)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They tend to ignore such questions. PM me if you want my personal opinion, I'll try to stick to the facts here.
csillag said:
Yes, that was what I have meant when I wrote "stock". Now I see that it was ambiguous wording...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nevermind.
csillag said:
That's sad.
I was hoping for finding only some added drivers, plus some small configuration changes elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They add some stuff, but they also change stuff internally. Tweaks and patches and many different things to get the best performance on this specific board. CAF has a generic msm-3.0 kernel, but that's not as customized. And we're not really waiting for the kernelspace here.
csillag said:
We don't have it, but the "official" FreeXperia team might, or they might be able to ask for it. This is exactly the kind of information I am trying to find about their collaboration with Sony...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Such things are very, very strongly NDA protected. That's Qualcomm's secret sauce, and it wouldn't be secret any more if they gave datasheets to the community.
csillag said:
No, actually I get that part. (I am exclusively using Linux for about 13 years now, and I have also done some kernel hacks earlier.) But maybe my wording was ambiguous again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nevermind
csillag said:
Well, that does not stop some vendors (like NVidia) to ship binary kernel modules, so I would not be too surprised to find even binary kernel modules bundled with the code. But if they are open source, that that's great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually what NVIDIA does is ship a GPL'ed kernel module whose only function is to set up an interface through which the userspace (libGL) can talk to the hardware. So their kernel module is open source, but all the magic happens in the proprietary userspace.
csillag said:
I did not know the devices require userspace parts. I was assuming that the kernel modules implement standard linux device interfaces; for example cameras are simply accessible via v4l[2], the modem is a character device, etc...
...so you say this is not the situation, and besides the kernel modules, they require custom user-space parts for operation, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android has a HAL of its own, so mostly it's about HAL modules, libGL and libril (Radio Interface Layer) to talk to the modem. And here is where many hardware vendors pull an NVIDIA.
csillag said:
So, you say that it's a totally possible situation that we need to wait for several further months until we can get access to the kernel sources, and build proper CM9, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the kernel isn't that much of a problem. If we have to wait for too long, we'll just take CodeAurora msm-3.0 and port it which shouldn't be too hard cause it's as generic as possible.
csillag said:
Maybe I should just stick to Galaxy Nexus, in spite of the older hardware...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want AOSP now, you should go with the GNex. But the XPS is a nice phone, and the prospects with AOSP are good. Also would be nice to have someone more experienced with Linux (I'm just a student here) on the team/forums. If you get the XPS, PM me or Doomlord and I hope you'll help get AOKP running

Source Code Request "Like" on FB

Hello All,
As you all know I've been part of Xda and assiting in a positive resolution from HTC in requests from Bootloaders to source codes. Well seeing we have a great device that seemed to be given EOL to early in its game.. in my opinion due to lack of marketing skills. Well I will be posting in HTC FB to get our voice out to them for the Source Code release for our device.
Please comment "Like" and comment to request this so we can continue development for the Flyer.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151213297764443&set=o.165420456859572&type=1&ref=nf
And Here:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151213304969443&set=o.101063233083&type=1&relevant_count=1
Um, source code of what? They release sources of Honeycomb, and there are no sources of ICS or Jelly Bean, so what's the whole point?
Source code for drivers which can be ported to ICS and JB. Anyway it helps coders make their own drivers for Camera/Front camera and for video
kayoma said:
Source code for drivers which can be ported to ICS and JB. Anyway it helps coders make their own drivers for Camera/Front camera and for video
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Click to collapse
Then we would need not just the drivers, but the whole 3.x kernel. I believe it's much harder to adapt ICS/JB drivers to GB/HC kernels
kayoma said:
Source code for drivers which can be ported to ICS and JB. Anyway it helps coders make their own drivers for Camera/Front camera and for video
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then we're asking the wrong ppl, it's not HTC. to understand this first you need to understand what makes up a ROM.
There is the kernel which is low level device specific, the kernel is mostly based on open source linux code, htc adds some board and device specific configuration on top of that.
Then there is the aosp which is also open source, an operating system provided by google that makes up most part of any ROM.
Then you have your aosp derivative like CM or AOKP, which provides board specific fixes and some customization. HTC's ROM is also based on aosp, but they add their own sense look and feel to it.
And finally and most importantly you have your close source proprietary drivers provided by chip manufactures like Qualcomm and TI. They control cameras, wifi, BT...etc. So in reality there is very little HTC could do as they don't have the rights to release these code. And that's is where most ppl run into issues.
So to create a ROM is not hard at all, anybody can download the source code and compile it to generate a ROM as most of the source code are all open source. What will be helpful is if Qualcomm releases the source code for their drivers, which I doubt they will ever do, otherwise they wouldn't be close source in the first place. The only thing we could do is try to reverse engineer the device base on logs and understanding of how each component should work and make educated guesses.
Due to HTC lack of effort on this device (No ICS - HC was slow joke) I will never buy another HTC product again, same goes for sony, though they did eventually update xperia x10i it was only due to huge pressure not because they wanted to.
I want to buy an electronic product that potentially remains relevant at least a year later otherwise forget it.
so i sent this letter to HTC
after reading this page where HTC discusses 4.1 upgrades i decided to drop them a line "
DIRECTLY FROM YOUR WEBSITE:
When will additional devices receive Android 4.1?
In addition to the HTC One X and HTC One S, we are actively reviewing our product portfolio to identify candidates to receive Jelly Bean. Our goal is to prioritize review for devices launched in 2012 with our numerous carrier partners across multiple regions and then consider our ability to provide updates to products from 2011.
What devices will not get Android 4.1?
We work hard to ensure each of our products has the optimal user experience and therefore some products will remain at their current version of Android. In general, devices with 512MB RAM or less will not be upgraded to Android 4.1. At present, these devices include the HTC One V and the HTC Desire C. As we identify other devices that will not be upgraded, we'll provide updated information.
What about a development version of Android 4.1?
For our developer community, we plan to make generic development ROMs of Jelly Bean available for both the HTC One X and HTC One S. As soon as the ROMs are ready, they will be posted to our HTCdev site (www.htcdev.com). We strongly recommend customers take the time to understand the limitations of the development software along with the terms and conditions on the site before downloading to their device.
REALLY!? have you listened to what your customers have asked/said about the HTC flyer at all?! where is OUR 4.1 DEVELOPMENT ROM! wtf! where are you for us!? I can tell you where... you are giving us 3.2 HC that takes away two very important features i bought the device for #1 GPS! completely broken by your newest update to HC. #2. Hardware Keys.... WHY?! i understand that HC introduced soft keys. so you say you "We work hard to ensure each of our products has the optimal user experience" BULL! you clearly weren't thinking about the end user when you pushed out that HC update for the flyer. Would have been smarter for you to leave us on working GB and go straight to ICS or JB when it was ready! this is lunacy! who ever is making decisions in your company needs fired. you are bleeding money from everywhere. why don't you bring it back to the old school HTC that CARED! ABOUT! IT'S CUSTOMERS! listen to what we are saying! hear our voice! we have signed petitions. we have pleaded on multiple forums. WE have poured over your FB and twitter pages asking for you to throw us a freaking bone here.... when is it gonna happen? ever?!
I still have my flyer and i love it dearly. but without updates it's falling behind the pack. I recently bought a 10.1 galaxy note. while i'm happy with it's speed and what not. it's not the form factor i want. which is what the flyer is for me. perfect. PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP ON US OR THIS DEVICE! PLEASE RELEASE A DEVELOPER ROM FOR OUR FLYER! "
this was their reply (you will want to read it for sure)
Dear Matt,
Thanks for contacting HTC!
We completely understand your concern and I thank you for your patience and am deeply sorry if this issue has caused you any dissatisfaction with HTC or its phones. I hope that it will not detract from your overall perspective of the device or the company. You are the most important part of the HTC Family.
We listen to our community and feedbacks like yours are the ones that make us revise our decisions, and try to find the correct balance between the device’s performance and usability. We cannot announce or say anything about the Flyer right now but what I can tell you is that we are, indeed, paying attention to the community´s feedback and opinions.
Should you require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us through http://www.htc.com/us/support/email-support or call us at +1-866-449-8358 from 6AM to 1AM EST, 7 days a week.
Have a great day!
Let me know if I have successfully answered your question, please click here to complete this.
To send a reply to this message, please click here.
Sincerely,
Carlos
HTC
I appreciate the passion here, but HTC left this device for dead along with the Jetstream and View shortly after releasing it. We received what would amounted to a Beta of Honeycomb then they closed up shop. You live and learn, and although I still use my Flyer and enjoy it I will not buy another HTC device
I completely agree with you .. HTC should give us ICS or JB for our Flyer as a good faith. We must keep GB because honeycomb is a joke..
I use my Flyer and i try as much as possible with the optimized news on GB .. and share with you.
Hoping for a good action on their part for JB!!
Fatal1ty_18_RUS said:
Then we would need not just the drivers, but the whole 3.x kernel. I believe it's much harder to adapt ICS/JB drivers to GB/HC kernels
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so the kernel source for HC 3.2 that's in HTCDev,,that is NOT the entire kernel sourcecode?
i know it's an old thread but i am wondering...
gersto said:
so the kernel source for HC 3.2 that's in HTCDev,,that is NOT the entire kernel sourcecode?
i know it's an old thread but i am wondering...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that the honeycomb kernel .
doesn't do you much good for ICS or JB
yncconsulting said:
Then we're asking the wrong ppl, it's not HTC. to understand this first you need to understand what makes up a ROM.
.
.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't understand I think. The drivers are part of the kernel. May they be compiled into the kernel itself or in form of modules. Drivers can be binary objects to be linked (already compiled) or source code which will be compiled when the kernel is built.
If you have the drivers source code there is a fairly good chance to get them running in newer kernels with some minor changes.
So from my point of view you will have a good chance to even get 4.2 up and running as long as you have the drivers source code.
Sent from my GT-I9100G using xda app-developers app
ktp1976 said:
You didn't understand I think. The drivers are part of the kernel. May they be compiled into the kernel itself or in form of modules. Drivers can be binary objects to be linked (already compiled) or source code which will be compiled when the kernel is built.
If you have the drivers source code there is a fairly good chance to get them running in newer kernels with some minor changes.
So from my point of view you will have a good chance to even get 4.2 up and running as long as you have the drivers source code.
Sent from my GT-I9100G using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, so my point is HTC publishes kernel source code, not drivers, they don't even own some of the drivers .,so you will never get that. You get a HC kernel ,that works with a HC blob set and you cannot build a working 4.xx kernel because you don;t have a 4.xxx blob set and HTC won't give you one because they have never written one and never will
DigitalMD said:
that the honeycomb kernel .
doesn't do you much good for ICS or JB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well they must be of some good since we have ICS/JB ROMs out there that are "mostly" complete, slick and usable, although slightly buggy, so obviously yeah i get that it doesn't solve all the issues we have, since some drivers are missing: as evident by the non-working FC, no hardware decoding for video, and semi-working BT
DigitalMD said:
yeah, so my point is HTC publishes kernel source code, not drivers, they don't even own some of the drivers .,so you will never get that. You get a HC kernel ,that works with a HC blob set and you cannot build a working 4.xx kernel because you don;t have a 4.xxx blob set and HTC won't give you one because they have never written one and never will
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not exactly. The kernel is also part of AOSP. And even if HTC does not supply the driver sources there is a slight chance to use old driver binaries or to have them reverse engineered by some genius dev. Hope is the last to die
Sent from my GT-I9100G using xda app-developers app
ktp1976 said:
Not exactly. The kernel is also part of AOSP. And even if HTC does not supply the driver sources there is a slight chance to use old driver binaries or to have them reverse engineered by some genius dev. Hope is the last to die
Sent from my GT-I9100G using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep dreaming. Some of the best around have tried that path.
No the device kernel is not in AOSP, the base linux (ANdorid) kernel source resides there, but if you look at the build, it calls in device , vendor, OS verson and board specific components to make a complete build. All that hooks into the blobs (drivers and libs) to make up the device specific environment that allows Android version X.XX to run
DigitalMD said:
Keep dreaming. Some of the best around have tried that path.
No the device kernel is not in AOSP, the base linux (ANdorid) kernel source resides there, but if you look at the build, it calls in device , vendor, OS verson and board specific components to make a complete build. All that hooks into the blobs (drivers and libs) to make up the device specific environment that allows Android version X.XX to run
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for clarification. So I was not wrong about the drivers, which are the device and vendor specific components. In other words if you can get the vendor to release their sources or make their chip/board manufacturers to release their sources is the only way to go. Seems a bit unrealistic though but who knows...
Sent from my GT-I9100G using xda app-developers app
All should email the HTCDev
Use this link http://www.htcdev.com/contact
They themselves posted on that link
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151213304969443&set=o.101063233083&type=1&relevant_count=1
Takes just f**kin 5 seconds
May be they will listen some day
freworld said:
All should email the HTCDev
Use this link http://www.htcdev.com/contact
They themselves posted on that link
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151213304969443&set=o.101063233083&type=1&relevant_count=1
Takes just f**kin 5 seconds
May be they will listen some day
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1

Why can't we develop drivers for ICS/JB, if we have GB source?

Note, I'm a noob when it comes to android development, but I fail to give up on this phone.
We have cyanogenmod 7 up and running, with HWA, camcorder, lapdock, usb host capabilities. The drivers for this are open source (I assume, because it is officially supported by the CM devs up to v7, and if not, motorola has release the sources up to GB). Other phones have had the same type of deal, but they have had drivers developed for them.
ICS was leaked for the GSM Atrix 4G and everything was functional (with a few freezes and force quits in between). What's stopping us from using what they have?
I remember Cybik stating he had the ICS leak running on the Photon with some special sauce but was not allowed to speak of it or release it. I'd say the info is out there to run ICS & JB on our devices but everyone is afraid to release it as I think its code from Motorola and don't want to be sued. I believe our drivers are more complicated and it really helps to have source code to start with to help out. Who knows maybe we have an unknown/known Dev that will crack the code someday. By the sound of it probably not
KillerKellerjr said:
I remember Cybik stating he had the ICS leak running on the Photon with some special sauce but was not allowed to speak of it or release it. I'd say the info is out there to run ICS & JB on our devices but everyone is afraid to release it as I think its code from Motorola and don't want to be sued. I believe our drivers are more complicated and it really helps to have source code to start with to help out. Who knows maybe we have an unknown/known Dev that will crack the code someday. By the sound of it probably not
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the heads up! Have any ideas of how to contact him?

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